Automobile bumper



Feb. 20, 1940. D. J. CAVANAUGH AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Filed March 19, 1938 9 Z7. Jdqvanugh ATTORN EYS Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES aurouonms human.

Daniel J. cmmuh. mum, mu. ApplicatiomMarch 19. ms, Serial a. 19am 3 Claims. (01. 293-55) This invention relates to automobile bumpers and more particularly to anextensible device of this character which. is maintained normally in retracted position but which may be extended at the will of an authorized operator of the vehicle.

The prime object of the invention is to provide for themaintenance of ample space for ready removal of a parked automobile.

Another object is to provide a practical and efficient hydraulic operating and controlling mechanism for extending and holding the front and rear bumpers.

A further object is to provide against un- V authorized retraction of the bumpers.

With these and other objects to be attained, as

will later more fully appear, the invention consists in the general structureand in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts thereof, as hereinafter described and pointed out with particularity inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an automobile chassis showing the mounted arrangement of the front and rear bumpers and the hydraulic operating and controlling means thereof;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through one of, the hydraulic bumper cylinders with the bumper in normal retracted position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the controlling clutch arrange-- ment for operating. the pump element of the apparatus; and a Figure 4 is a view of the release valve.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral I3 designates generally the chassis or supporting under frame of the vehicle which is shown conventionally and mounted on the front and rear axles II and i2, respectively, having the front and rear wheels. l3 and 14. At the forward portion of the frame III is the usual motor unit I! at the rear of which is the transmission mechanism housed in the casing as conventionally shown at l6, and from which latter extends the propeller shaft I! which drives the rear axle by means of the interposed differential gearing conventionally indicated at It.

Front and rear bumpers l9 and 20' are provided, and as the construction and mounting of each of said bumpers is the same, a detailed description of one will sufllce. As shown, the

bumper is mounted, as at 2|, on the outer ends 55 of supporting bars 22 having pistons 23 at their PATENT OFFICE I inner ends which are slidably mounted in cylinders 24, said cylinders being securely fastened to the front and rear end portions of the side members of the chassis or .under frame ll of the vehicle.

Normally,-the bumpers l3 and 20 are yieldably held in retracted position by means of suitable spring elements 23, said element 25, as shown more or less conventionally in Figure 2, being attached at one end to the piston 23, as at 28, and 10 at its opposite end, as at 21, to a cap member or head "provided on the inner end of the cylinder 24. The piston 23, as shown, is provided with the usual cupped packing 29.

The bumpers l3 and 23 are moved to an ex- 15 tended position by fluid pressure supplied to the cylinders 24 whereby to move the respective pistons 23 outwardly against the tension of the spring elements '23 by means of the fluid pressure as will now be described. 20

Located conveniently on the chassis Ill is a reservoir 33 containing oil or other suitable noncompressible liquid, said reservoir being connected by the pipe 3| to the pump 32. Leading from the outlet of the pump is a pipe 33 having a 5 check valve 34 therein, said pipe 33 being connected to a longitudinal distributor pipe 35, which latter is connected at its opposite ends to transverse header pipes 36, said pipes 36 crossconnecting the pair of bumper cylinders 24 at 30 each end of the chassis orunder frame III.

A pipe 31 connects the distributor pipe 35 with a casing 33 which latter is in turn connected to the reservoir 33 by a pipe 39, and'having a check valve 43 provided in said casing 38 which 35 is normally urged in closing relation to the pipe 33 by a spring element 4|.

By the foregoing arrangement, liquid may be drawn from the reservoir 30 through the .pipe 3| by the pump 32, and by the provision of the check valves 34 and 43 in their particular positions in the pipe system, the liquid is forced under pressure from the pump 32 through the pipe 33, distributor pipe 33, and header pipes 36 simultaneously intoeachof the cylinders 24 between the 'cap member or head 23 and the piston 23, whereupon hydraulic pressure is set up in the respective cylinders sufficiently to move the pistons against the combined tension of the springs 25 and the liquid pressure being maintained in the system by the check valve 40, which latter is released manually by the operator when it is desired to retract the bumpers.

Any suitable operating and controlling means may be provided for the release of said check valve 40, but, as conventionally showndn Figure 4, the valve 40 is provided with a stem 42 which is projected outwar Y through the casing 38 and provided with a has 41 on its outer end so as to be'engaged by a lever member M, to which latter a link member is attached.- In this connection, it is noted that the link member I! is extended from the lever 44 to a convenient operating position within reach of the operator.

Any suitable motive power may be provided for the pump 32, but as shown, a shaft connection 48 is extended from the transmission mechanism It, as conventionally illustrated in Figures l and 3, with a suitable clutch device'll and operating lever 48, by which arrangement the pump 32 is operated from the motor unit I! after the automobile has been parked in the usual way and before the motor has been stopped. Obviously, however, an electrical or other supplemental motor may be provided for said pump 32.

With an automobile equipped in accordance with the present invention and the bumpers I! and in normally retracted position, it is obvious that the automobile may be parked in the usual way and the bumpers then extended until such time that it is desired to move the automobile,

- the extended bumpers, in the meantime, preventing the crowding of an adjacent automobile into the limited reserve space at the front or rear of the parked automobile. It is thus noted that ample space is always reserved and to remove the automobile from the space so maintained it is only necessary to first release the valve 40 so that the liquid in the cylinders 24 can be returned to the reservoir 30 when the springs 25 retract the respective pistons 23 and the bumpers carried thereby. At the same time, unauthorized extension and retraction of the bumpers may be practically prevented by locking the controlling means of the pump 32 and said valve 40, either directly or by locking the doors of the vehicle body as is usually done when the vehicle is parked. It is further noted that by keeping the check valve 40 normally locked in open position unauthorized extension 'of the bumpers is prevented even though the pump 32 is unlocked and operated, because the liquid will be pumped back into the reservoir through the relief pipe .31, and, therefore, no pressure is built up in the cylinders 24 sufllcient to move the pistons 23 forwardly.

Obviously, the construction and arrangements of the apparatus may be modified in many respects without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangements shown.

What is claimedis:

l. The herein described parking -line-spaceholding means for automobiles and the like, comprising an otherwise conventional transverse bumper element proper mounted adjacent its opposite ends with provision for extension and retraction relative to the adjacent end of the vehicle, means for yieldably holding said bumper element proper in a normally retracted but conventionally operative position and reacting to automatically retract said element to such normal position after extending operation thereof, and fluid pressure means for actuating said bumper element proper to an extended parkingspace-holding position and for releasably holding it in such position, said means including a power cylinder carried by the vehicle, a piston working with longitudinal reciprocation in said cylinder and having a positive operable connection with said bumper element proper whereby the one is actuated byand with the other, a source of fluid supply on the vehicle, a pipe connection from said source of fluid supply to said cylinder at a point between an opposed head of the cylinder and said- ,piston therein, said pipe connection including a the cylinder to the source of fluid supp said return pipe connection having a check valve element therein normally closed to prevent flow in the direction of the source of fluid supply, and controllable means for opening said check valve element in the return pipe connection.

2. The herein described parking-linespace-- holding means for automobiles and the like,comprising front and rear bumpers each including an otherwise conventional transverse bumper element proper mounted adjacent its opposite ends .with provision for extension and retraction relative to the adjacent end of the vehicle, means for yieldably holding each of said bumper elements proper in a normally retracted but conventionally operative position and reacting to automatically retract said elements to such normal position after extending operation thereof, and fluid pressure means for actuating the respective bumper elements proper to an extended parkingspace-holding position and for releasably holding them in such position, said means comprising power cylinders carried by the vehicle, the respective cylinders for each bumper element proper comprising a cooperative pair thereof disposed longitudinally on the vehicle in laterally opposed parallel relation to each other, each cylinder having a piston working with longitudinal reciprocation therein and having a direct rod connection with the bumper element proper whereby the one is actuated positively by and with the other, a source of fluid supply on the vehicle, transverseheader pipes respectively connecting the power cylinders of each cooperative pair thereof, the communicable attachment of said header pipes to the respective cylinders being between the inner head of the cylinder and the piston therein, a common distributor pipe connecting said header pipes, a pipe connection from said source of fluid supply to said distributor pipe, said pipe connection including a pump element within the length thereof and a check valve element between the pump element and said distributor pipe, said valve element opening only toward said distributor pipe, a return pipe connection from said distributor pipe to the source offluid supply, said return pipe connection having a check valve element therein normally closed to prevent flow in the direction of the source of fluid supply, and controllable means for opening said check valve element in the return pipe connection.

3. The herein described parking-line-spaceholding means for automobiles and the like, comautomatically retract said element to such normal position after extending operation thereof,

and controllable means for actuating said bumper element proper to an extended parking-spaceholding position and. for releasably holding it in such position, said means including a fluid-pressure-actuated prime mover having a positive.

operable connection with said bumper element proper whereby the one is movable by and with the other, means for applying fluid under pressure to said prime mover to actuate it in the 1 direction to move the bumper element proper to its extended.v parHnt-space-hoiding position against the reactive eflect of the normal holding and retracting means of said bumper element proper, and means for relieving said prime mover from the influence oi the fluid pressure, the means for applying the fluid pressure to said prime mover and the means for relieving the prime mover or such pressure being under the control and operated at the will oi the operator.

- DANIEL J. CAVANAUGH. 

